


In Your Heart Shall Burn

by everylosttouch



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec is v overwhelmed but he’s trying his best, Demon fighting, Dragon Age Inquisition Crossover, Dragons, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Inquisitor Alec, M/M, Mage Magnus, Magnus won’t appear until later, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Politics, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Tags will update with each chapter, god is this gonna be a long boi, no beta we die like men, you guessed it this is the lovechild of dragon age and shadowhunters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:35:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28036272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everylosttouch/pseuds/everylosttouch
Summary: A giant hole opening in the sky, an infestation of demons, and a civil war between mages and templars; needless to say, Alec has his hands full.(Or, the Shadowhunters and Dragon Age: Inquisition crossover no one asked for)
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	In Your Heart Shall Burn

**Author's Note:**

> I look pretty good for a dead bitch lmao
> 
> First off, hi. I’ll be real, the year has not been my best friend for writing muse. But I decided to challenge myself and write this monster fic for Nano this year. It’s still a WIP, and I’ll be posting chapters a bit sporadically for the time being.
> 
> Secondly, this is a **Shadowhunters and Dragon Age: Inquisition Crossover** there’s gonna be a lot of terminology from the game cause the fic is going to be set in the DA universe, just with the Shadowhunters characters substituted in (save for a few characters who cannot be replaced for obvious reasons). You guys are welcome to look up any terminology you don’t understand, but I will give brief explanations in the ending notes to what specific things are. The rest I try to explain so those who haven’t played/know anything about the game can understand it.
> 
> Thirdly, I’ll be following this fic on twitter with the tag #iyhsb! I’m also open to feedback and any small pointers on anything! This is completely unbeta’d, but I’m trying my best to edit the chapters I have already to give y’all some kickass content.
> 
> And, without further ado, enjoy reading!

xXx

Alec has no idea where he is.

He’s...somewhere. It’s barren and empty, covered in a thick haze of fog. The ground below is tough, harsh stone with cracks and withered plants. The air feels heavy in his lungs.

Fuck, where the hell is he?

He turns only to have his eyes blinded by the only light able to penetrate the fog around him. It’s clearer this way, and Alec can just make out the heightened rocky structure in front of him, with stairs leading up to the beacon of light. He winces at the light, holding his arm up to shield his vulnerable eyes from it’s intensity. 

_This way._

A voice seems to beckon him forward, towards the stones carved away to look like stairs. The fog lifts slightly, and his lungs don’t feel nearly as heavy. He continues forward, practically crawling up the poorly-crafted stairs up towards the beacon. His foot catches one of the stones, and he slips just so, sending loose rocks skittering back. The sound echoes loudly, but soon grows distant. Until it doesn’t.

Alec turns back as the sound grows louder once again, only for it to morph into the incessant chatter of large, monstrous spiders.

_Oh shit._

The spiders burst forth from the darkness, rapidly approaching as Alec turns back and runs. The stairs get significantly steeper, and he struggles to grip the stone to bring him forward. The spiders crawl after him, one even brushes his foot, but he has the sense enough to kick it back, sending it back down into the abyss with a terrifying scream. 

He turns his eyes back towards the beacon, whose form looks strangely human-like. 

_Here,_ it calls.

Alec pulls himself up, using all the strength he has to reach up and out towards the figure, who’s ethereal form reaches back to him. He struggles to maintain balance, reaching, reaching, reaching until—

The darkness vanishes, and instead he’s surrounded in white. It’s blinding. 

He can’t see anything.

Where the hell is he?

xXx

The next thing Alec registers is the skittering of feet across a dirty floor. His head still hurts—somehow a lot more than before—and his hand feels like it’s suddenly burning. He tries to remember the last place he was, that void. He ran from spiders. He touched the light.

The light...was it fire? Is that why his hand is burning? Is he burning?

His head throbs painfully.

It’s enough to draw Alec from his own head, wincing at the painful throb before blinking his eyes open. The first thing he registers is how _heavy_ his arms are. He lifts them, only to see his wrists bound in heavy iron cuffs.

_What the fuck?_

He looks around, only to see that he is indeed chained to the floor of a prison cell. There’s a distant chitter of rats, a drip of moisture, a flicker and pop from the torches on the walls. There’s no one here except him, and he wonders how the hell he got here from the void. The burning sensation flares once more, and Alec seethes, turning his attention back towards his hand. He rotates his wrist, testing the movement under the weight of the cuffs once more. His arm tingles a bit now, starting at the elbow before it cascades upwards towards the tips of his fingers. It blooms into a searing, aching pain, as if the limb has been set aflame. Alec barely has a moment to take a sharp inhale when a sudden burst of energy blasts from his palm. The sound is loud and painful, the haunting green glow a faint memory of the void he was in once before.

But as soon as it appears, it’s gone. There’s a sudden clang, and the rush of cold air floods his senses as the door to his cell opens. He winces at the sudden light that blinds his retinas, watching as several silhouettes pour into the large cell. They’re bulky, and many of the edges are sharp and stick out at odd angles. _Guards_ , Alec thinks inwardly.

There’s one form that trudges ahead of the rest. Their footsteps are driven, certain. There’s a purpose behind them. They come forward, into the faint firelight emanating from the one torch on the wall and Alec watches as a woman—tall with long, dark hair, restrained in a bun at the base of her skull—circles around him, expression stony.

“Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now,” she commands, circling around him. Her voice is cold and detached, authoritative in a way that’s just on the right side of intimidating. “The Conclave is destroyed, and everyone who attended is dead.” She comes back into Alec’s view, turning back towards him. “Except for _you_.”

Alec blinks in surprise. Conclave? Is that what the void was? But no one was there. Only him.

His gut swirls. “You think _I’m_ responsible?” he asks incredulously. 

There’s a twitch of her eyebrow and a downturn of her lips as she pushes into Alec’s space, hands gripping the iron cuffs around his wrists and tugging upwards. 

“Then explain _this_.”

As if on cue, the tingling-turned burning sensation skitters across his arm, and his left hand bursts with that sudden energy, a neon green glow surrounding the skin like a flame. It snaps and crackles like electricity, bolts of static shocking across the surface of his skin. 

The woman throws the cuffs from her grasp, and Alec winces at the sudden jostling of his sore muscles. 

Alec tries thinking back, trying to think of what the hell she’s talking about. He has no idea what the Conclave is, or who all was involved. All he remembers is the void, the air that felt impossible to breathe, the spiders, the beacon—

“I...I can’t,” Alec admits, eyes casting down to his cuffs. 

“What do you mean, you _can’t_?” She asks again. Her hand immediately goes to the longsword strapped to her hip. Alec swallows thickly, allowing a moment to notice the large insignia painted across the front of her chest plate. It’s not one he’s seen before, with a sword intersecting an eye, surrounded by a design that reminds him of the sun.

“I don’t know what this is, or how I got it,” he elaborates.

“You’re lying!” 

She’s up close again in an instant, pushing up against him. There’s a sharp sound of dragging metal, and somehow Alec _knows_ it’s the longsword dragging against its holster. He closes his eyes, bracing for impact.

But it doesn’t come.

Instead, another figure emerges from the shadows, pushing back on the black-haired woman’s arm. The other figure is hooded, and while he can’t see much of their face, the moment they speak, Alec calms.

“We need him, Jia,” they say, before turning back towards Alec. It’s then that Alec gets to see more of the hooded figure. She looks to have a kind face, with gentle eyes but a sharp nose. Her blonde hair peeks out from the opening of the hood. She too, wears the same insignia on her clothes, just above the opening of where her hood secures.

“So...what happens now?” Alec asks a bit hesitantly, his gaze focusing on the kinder-looking woman. 

“Do you remember what happened? How this all began?”

Alec shakes his head. “I remember running. There were these things...giant spiders that hissed…” He trails off, closing his eyes for a moment. He recalls the beacon, the human form it possessed, it’s soft, comforting voice. “Then there was…a woman?”

“A woman?” 

“She reached out to me, but then—” Alec cuts himself off with a sigh. “That’s...that’s all I can remember. I don’t know what—”

The black-haired woman— _Jia,_ Alec reminds himself—approaches the other woman in the hood, backing them up a few paces from him. “Go to the forward camp, Helen,” she directs. They take a moment to look back at him, both their gazes uncertain. “I will take him to the rift.”

With a nod, Helen leaves as quietly as she came, leaving Jia and Alec alone. Jia wastes no time to approach him, crouching down to unlock the chains that bind his cuffs to the floor. In the silence, it occurs to him that he still has no real answers. What happened? Where is the Conclave? Who died?

“What _did_ happen?”

Jia says nothing for a moment, their eyes meeting. It’s clear there’s a storm brewing in her dark eyes, anger and sorrow battling against each other. She drags him up from the cold, dirty prison floor and steps away with a shake of her head. “It will be easier to show you.”

xXx

It’s cold as they step out into the frost covered grounds outside of the holding cell. Snow drifts around them, yet the sky groans and roars with thunder. Alec’s eyes drift upwards, towards the mountainside. The sky crackles and grumbles with more thunder and lightning, and there—right in the center of the sky—rests a giant vortex. It’s center is the neon green that had haunted him in the void, that crackles in his arm. The clouds around it circle menacingly, as if the world is about to be swallowed whole.

“We call it the Breach,” Jia says, eyes trained up towards the sky. “It’s a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It’s not the only rift. Just the largest.” She turns away from it, taking a couple paces back towards the holdings from which they came. “All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave.”

Alec turns back towards Jia, brows arched in surprise. “An explosion can do _that_?”

She walks back over towards Alec. “This one did,” she says simply. Her footsteps crunch in the snow, and as she stops in front of him, Alec can see the faintest hint of a scar near the base of her jawline. “Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world.”

Suddenly, the giant rift roars to life, a bright light flickering across it’s opening. As if a spark had ignited, the tingle in his arm begins again, and Alec cries out as his left hand bleeds that sharp, neon green it had twice before. It crackles and snaps, its duration far longer than before. He seethes painfully, falling to his knees in attempts to cradle his aching hand. 

Jia frowns at him. “Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads. And it will kill you.” She lowers herself back down to Alec’s eyeline, and her expression softens subtly. “It may be the key to stopping this. But there isn’t much time.”

Alec’s brows furrow. “The key to doing what?”

“Closing the Breach. Whether that’s possible or not is something we’ll discover shortly.” Her expression hardens once again. “It’s our only chance. And yours.”

Alec looks back down to his hand. This thing is going to kill him and that thing—the giant rift in the sky—will kill them all. If they’re connected in this way, shouldn’t they be connected in the same way if they were to try and close i

“I understand.”

“Then—”

“I’ll do what I can,” Alec elaborates. “Whatever it takes.”

There’s a brief moment where there are no words between them. And while Jia’s stony exterior doesn’t falter, her eyes reflect something akin to respect. “Very well then,” she mutters, once again using her strength to help Alec to his feet. With a breath, they both move forward towards the Breach.

Jia guides them through their temporary campsite. As they make their way through, many of the people there turn their attention to them, eyes trained on Alec and Jia as they move forward. While some look confused at first, many expressions turn spiteful at their gazes fall upon Alec’s form. A few men yell at him, spouting hateful jabs and various threats. Many sneer, while others only stare, silently whispering amongst their peers.

“Many of them have already decided you are guilty,” Jia informs. “They need to cast guilt to someone, and they have chosen you. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, our Divine Justinia, Head of the Chantry.” She meets some of the gazes of the onlookers, but pays them no mind as they continue forward. “The Conclave was hers. It was a chance for peace between the mages and templars. She brought their leaders together. And now...now they are dead.”

The doors leading out of Haven open for them, opening them to the long stone drawbridge leading into the mountainside. 

“We lash out like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves as she did. Until the Breach is sealed.” 

Jia stops then, taking out a small key from one of the satchels on her belt. “There will be a trial,” she adds. “I can’t promise anything more.” With that, her swift hands quickly unlock Alec’s shackles, and she rids of the heavy cuffs on a nearby supply crate. 

Alec looks down to his now barren wrists, fingers ghosting the edges of the aggravated skin. “Where are you taking me?”

“Your mark needs to be tested on something smaller than the Breach,” Jia says, leading him down the drawbridge. There are several soldiers littering the space, talking, trading out weapons, and stocking up on supplies. Most of them pay no mind, but some only watch as Alec and Jia make their way across the bridge. The gate opens on her command, and they soon find themselves hiking up the trails of the mountains.

Throughout the hike, Alec witnesses the destruction the Breach has caused firsthand. Many things seem to have caught flame, such as trees and abandoned supply caches, old homes and dwellings. With each passing moment, the Breach crackles and thunders. With it comes large bursts of energy catapulting down to the surface. The energy hurtles down like a meteor, exploding on impact like a bomb, leaving many structures and strongholds burning in their place.

Another large burst of energy strikes ahead of them, and the sharp pain in Alec’s arm erupts through him, sending him to his knees and down into the frigid snow. He attempts to get up, but to no avail.

Jia says nothing, but comes swiftly to help him up. “The pulses are coming faster now. The larger the Breach grows, the more rifts appear, and the more demons we will have to face.”

_Great,_ Alec thinks to himself, _I get to fight demons with nothing but a hand that hurts me more than it’ll hurt them._

He doesn’t have much time to dwell on the thought before Jia is pushing him forward once more. He stumbles forward, looking to the Breach for a moment before asking “You said I was the only one left. How did I survive the blast?”

“They…They said you stepped out of a rift,” she states, though her tone makes it sound like she doesn’t quite believe it herself. “Then fell unconscious. From what they’ve reported, they said a woman was in the rift behind you. But no one knows who she was.” They near another drawbridge as she continues. “Everything farther into the valley was laid waste, including the Temple of Sacred Ashes.”

Alec winces at that. _That definitely sounds important._

They’re nearing the next gate when another burst of energy rockets from the Breach. It’s blast is sudden, colliding with the end of the drawbridge and destroying multiple carts of supplies and weapons in its wake. There are screams that echo from those unfortunate enough to be impacted by the blast. 

The energy of impact causes the stones underneath to give way, the bridge losing all structural integrity and collapsing, taking both Alec and Jia with it. They fumble down the side, and Alec suffers an impressive blow to the side from some of the debris. He’s unable to dwell on it long, however, as another burst of energy hurtles down and impacts the frozen ground in front of them. Although this time, instead of dissipating into fire and smoke, the energy lingers, it’s flames growing more intense before a Shade rises up from the embers. 

“Stay behind me!” Jia orders as she draws out her longsword and grasps at the shield on her back. She rushes towards the Shade confidently, raising her blade for the strike.

Alec’s gaze drifts down to the ground before him, watching as the dark ichor bubbles and seethes, it’s neon-green glow promising nothing good. Alec looks around as it continues to hiss and wail because he _definitely_ cannot fight demons with no weapons to defend himself. He spots a bow and quiver amongst the debris—thankfully in good enough shape to give him some advantage in a fight.

He rushes towards it, quickly pulling the strap of the quiver over his head and across his chest. The bow is a little too light, and burnt on the edges from the blast, but he lifts it just in time to see another Shade manifest from the ichor. Taking a breath, he nocks the arrow, swiftly delivering blow after blow to the demonic creature. He thrusts it back with the bow when it gets too close, before stepping back a few paces and delivering a shot right to the head—right where the eyes would be if it _had_ eyes. 

The Shade groans and cries with the blow, leering back before falling down to the ground dead. 

Alec watches as Jia slices down the other Shade, letting out a sigh after it falls. “Thank Andraste that’s over.”

Jia’s attention focuses back to Alec, and her gaze steels upon noticing the bow and arrow in his hands. She approaches him quickly with her sword drawn. “Drop your weapon, _now_ ,” she commands. 

_You’re still a prisoner,_ Alec reminds himself. They have no real reason to trust him right now, so he may as well comply to establish some form of trust or they won’t get anywhere. 

“Okay,” Alec agrees, hands up in defense as he lowers down to drop the bow carefully. “Have it your way.”

Jia’s displeasure only worsens as he reaches to rid himself of the quiver. “Wait.”

Alec halts.

Jia sheathes her blade with a sigh. “I can’t protect you, and I can’t expect you to try fighting demons absolutely defenseless.”

“It would be quite difficult,” Alec agrees with a shrug.

“You came willingly,” Jia says. “I have to remind myself of that.” She moves once more, taking out a few thin vials of a thick, opaque orange liquid. “Here. These are potions from some of our finest brewers in our troops. Maker knows what we’ll face.”

Alec takes the vials from her outstretched hand. “And where are all your soldiers?” 

Jia turns back towards the path ahead, ascending the steep hill and snowy terrain. “They’re at the forward camp, or fighting. So for now, we’re on our own.”

“Great,” Alec says nonchalantly. “So as long as we don’t get ambushed by a bunch of demons, we’ll be perfectly fine.”

The jest doesn’t seem to bode well with Jia, drawing only a distant scoff from her as they venture forth. Sure enough, the Breach continues to surge, sending more bursts of energy hurtling down to the earth. As they move forward, they encounter more Shades and a couple of wraiths as well, but it’s nothing they can’t handle. It’s clear with each burst of the Breach and the oncoming wave of demons that they’ll be continuing to fight until—hopefully—Alec can close the Breach himself.

Steeling himself, he follows Jia across the frozen lake and up the long expanse of stone stairway that ascends the mountains. As they get closer towards the peak, Alec can hear the distinct cry of demons, the rumbling of the earth, the clank of metal against metal. 

“We’re getting close to the rift!” Jia calls out. “You can hear the fighting.”

_But who’s fighting_? Alec asks himself distantly.

They ascend the final staircase, turning towards another open plain that's cluttered with the destruction of stone columns and tendrils of fire. Suspended mid-air is a horrid thing, what looks like a giant tear in the seam of sky. It grows sickly green, pulsing and moving, clearly agitated. There are more demons, and the rift surges once more, summoning more demons and overwhelming the two people fighting the onslaught of those already there. Jia rushes past him, her sword and shield drawn. 

“Come on! They need our help!” she cries.

Alec is quick to survey the field: at least 10 demons, seven crowded around the crossbow-wielding dwarf and the other three attempting to surround a mage. He takes careful inventory of the arrows in his quiver, and readies it quickly. He takes a step back, breathing carefully before letting his first shot fly. It rockets forward, just dodging Jia as she strikes down a Shade and impales another right in its face. The dwarf kicks back another demon, quickly loading the crossbow and letting the arrow sling forth. Jia is at his six, longsword carving through the demons who dare to get close enough. It’s enthralling to see the two fight together like a well oiled machine, almost as if they’ve fought together before.

Alec turns his attention to the blond-headed mage, who cuts down one of the Shades in his path. Alec notices the ground behind the mage shift, and in an instant, his body rushes forward, strapping his bow to his torso and taking two arrows in hand. They’re no daggers, sure, but they’ll do.

The mage turns to deliver a blow to another demon, but he’s almost oblivious to the one that emerges from the ground behind him. Luckily, Alec is just quick enough, leaping into the line of fire and impaling the arrows straight into the demon’s chest. It screams and wails in pain, and Alec grunts as it claws at him. He kicks it back, only for the mage to have turned and delivered a final blast of magic to vaporize the demon where it stands. 

“Quickly!” the mage shouts, grabbing Alec’s left hand and aiming it towards the rift. “Before more demons come through!”

He thrusts Alec’s arm up towards the rift, and Alec’s skin suddenly burns as the mark flares to life. The rift practically reaches out to the crackling energy surrounding his hand, reacting violently as the rift throbs and convulses. Alec yelps at the sudden pain, feeling like his arm is about to be ripped apart. He tries to tug it away from the mage’s grasp, but to no avail. He grits through it, watching in both fear and awe as the rift seems to close right before his very eyes.

The rift snaps shut with another burst of energy, knocking everyone back a couple of paces. Alec, now regaining strength of his over-exerted limb, yanks the appendage away from the mage, sending him a stern look. “What the hell was that?” He demands. “What did you do?”

The mage simply shakes his head. “ _I_ didn’t do anything,” he insists. “The credit is yours.”

Alec’s brows furrow as he looks down to his left hand again, now completely devoid of whatever glowing green energy it just had seconds ago. “You mean this?”

The mage nods. “Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark on your hand. I’d like to guess that the mark might have been able to close the rifts that had opened as a result of the Breach—and it seems that guess was right,” he says somewhat smugly, nodding down at Alec’s hand. Almost as if on cue, Alec’s hand tingles faintly, and the barest hint of green skitters across the skin of his palm.

“That means it could also close the Breach itself,” Jia interjects, sheathing her blade once more. 

“Well, that’s very much possible,” the mage agrees. He shifts a bit, letting the stray bits of his blond bangs dip into his eyeline before he brushes them away. It’s then that Alec notices his pointed ears. The elven mage looks back to Alec with somewhat of a hopeful smile. “It seems you hold the key to our salvation.”

_No pressure_ , Alec thinks distantly. 

“Good to know! And here I thought we’d be ass-deep in demons forever,” the dwarf perks up, tugging at his gloves. Alec nearly guffaws at the dwarf, who’s shirt remains nearly all the way open from the waist up. It’s _snowing_ and Alec is just a second away from literally shivering in his boots, while this dwarf stands with a large expanse of skin on display, seemingly unbothered by the harsh weather.

Alec shakes his head, willing the thought away as the dwarf approaches him. 

“Varric Tethras,” he introduces himself, “Rogue, storyteller, and the occasional unwelcome tag along.” He looks to Jia then with a smirk, however Jia’s brows only furrow as she scoffs under her breath, eyes trailing away from him.

Alec’s eyes are still very much trained on his chest—embarrassingly enough. He catches himself again and swallows thickly, hoping the embarrassed flush of his cheeks can be mistaken for a reaction to the cold. His eyes desperately anchor to the next available object in sight: the crossbow.

“T-That’s a nice crossbow you have there!” Alec points out, and dear god, he just wants to hit himself upside the head with how stupid he sounds.

But Varric doesn’t even blink, instead beaming as he glances to the crossbow slung against his shoulder. “Isn’t she? Bianca and I have been through so much together.”

Alec blinks once. Twice. “You named your crossbow?”

“Of course I did!” Varric counters, as if it’s the most obvious answer in the world. “And she’ll be great company in the valley.”

“Absolutely not,” Jia dissuades, inserting herself back into the conversation. “While your help is appreciated Varric, I—”

“I’m sorry, but have you _been_ in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren’t in control anymore.” That same, teasing smirk with an air of confidence climbs up his face once more. “You need me.”

Even with her back turned to Alec, he can see the gears turn in Jia’s head. She flexes her jaw before turning back towards Alec with another disgruntled scoff. 

“I realize I haven’t introduced myself either,” the mage perks up. Placing a hand to his chest, he smiles up at Alec. “I am Jonathan. I’m pleased to see you’re still alive.”

“What he means is ‘I kept that mark from killing you while you slept’. Right?” Varric counters back, looking to Jonathan. 

Alec turns back towards the elf. “You seem to know a great deal about this,” he says, gesturing to his hand.

“Jonathan is an apostate, and is well-versed in such manners.”

“Technically all mages are apostates now, Jia,” Jonathan replies. “But yes, the travels I’ve been on have allowed me to learn a lot about the Fade; far beyond the experience of any Circle mage, I’d assume. I came to offer whatever help I could with the Breach. If it’s not closed, we’re all doomed, apostates or not.”

“If I’m able to close the Breach, I’ll do whatever it takes,” Alec counters back. “Too many lives have been lost already. We can’t risk losing any more.”

The statement seems to soothe both Jonathan and Jia. “Then we must get to the forward camp quickly,” Jia concludes. “Come.”

She and Jonathan trudge forward, leaving Alec a few paces behind. “Well,” Varric perks up again, casually strolling past Alec. “Bianca’s excited!”

Alec watches as Varric follows them, and he can’t help but shake his head. 

_What a weird fucking day this is has been._

xXx

They continue forward after that, moving quickly through the mountain pass. There are a few hordes of demons that spawn, but with four people, it’s fairly easier for them to tackle. Venturing through the pass, Alec witnesses more of the carnage from the Breach’s destruction, including several houses now coated in flame. They search them, just in case someone still lingers, but find nothing except small trinkets and silver pieces. It feels a bit odd to Alec, taking such things from people. 

“If they really needed it, they wouldn’t have left it behind,” Jia consoles. “You’re the one battling demons, not them.”

Alec’s brow furrows despite the statement, pocketing a spare potion into the satchel on his belt. “Still, it feels wrong taking from someone else.”

“Says the one who’s supposedly accused of murdering the Divine,” Varric states as they ascend another stone staircase on the mountainside. “Unless you’re really innocent. Are you?”

Alec’s brows furrow. Knowing himself, he’d never dare to kill someone as revered and cherished as the Divine. In truth, he’s hardly raised a blade to anyone at all except for training purposes. Even then, his life in Ostwick never circled around fighting. He was to join the Chantry, to follow in the footsteps of Lightwoods before him. The only time his mind focused on fighting was his training to one day join the Templars—but that too, stopped short. While he’d like to believe that he didn’t kill those people, he still has no control over this mark nor has any idea of what kind of damage it can possibly do.

“I don’t remember what happened,” Alec concludes distantly, displeased by the answer, no matter how honest it may have been.

“That’ll get you every time,” Varric replies with a shake of his head. “You should’ve spun a story.”

“That’s what _you_ would have done, Varric,” Jia interjects.

Varric simply shrugs. “It’s more believable that way; and less prone to result in premature execution.”

“We‘ve got another wave incoming,” Jonathan warns as they climb up the hillside. All of them draw out their weapons, readying themselves as they rush to the collection of demons and wraiths ahead of them. It’s harder from this angle, shooting upwards towards his targets, but Alec soon gains traction, sending arrow after arrow flying with critical accuracy.

“A sharp shooter you have there, Seeker!” Varric shouts with a smile on his face. He keeps Bianca anchored to his hip, loading another arrow into his crossbow. It flies out a second later, impaling a nearby Shade that explodes on impact.

“Incendiary arrows?” Alec asks in bewilderment. “Where did you get those?”

“Duck!” Jonathan yells behind him before Varric can reply. Alec tenses, his body instantly obeying Jonathan’s command as he watches a burst of magic rocket past him. It shoots up to the wraith just above him, clearly about to ambush Alec. The magic zaps, electricity crackling as the wraith cries out in a haunting wail before it’s form melts away, leaving nothing but a disgusting pile of foul-colored slime in its wake.

Alec turns back to Jonathan. “T-Thanks.”

Jonathan nods, easing back into a normal stance now that all the demons have been slain. Just as silently, he strides past Alec towards the remnants of the wraith. Alec can’t help but sneer as he watches the elven mage scoop the slime into a small vile.

“I’ve found the residue the wraiths leave makes a helpful healing salve,” Jonathan states plainly. “So I try to collect whatever traces I can when they are vanquished.”

_Still gross,_ Alec thinks to himself. 

“Remind me to brew you some when we close the Breach,” he offers. “It’ll do well on whatever wounds you may have.”

Alec’s brows furrow. “You don’t think I’m guilty?” He asks, tone dropping so it’s quiet enough for just Jonathan to hear. 

Jonathan shakes his head. “Not particularly,” he says gently. “I’d like to think that you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” His eyes drift back to Alec’s hand, a silent acknowledgment of the power Alec now holds. “Or perhaps the right place and just the right time, depending on how you look at it.”

He doesn’t say anything more after that, instead finishing his task of collecting the wisp essence, closing the bottle, and labeling it in what Alec recognizes as Elven scrawl. 

“I hope Helen made it through all of this,” Jia airs out her concern as they continue forth. “Aline would have choice words otherwise.”

“Helen is resourceful, Seeker,” Varric assures. “I’m sure she made it through just fine.”

“We’ll see for ourselves soon. We’re almost there.”

They continue to head up the mountainside, following the path up towards the peak. Just as they turn up the final staircase, Alec’s arm erupts in that familiar tingle, before the energy bursts from his palm. It doesn’t hurt quite as much as before, whether it’s Alec adjusting to the pain—he doesn’t know. 

“Another rift!” Jia exclaims as they reach the top of the mountainside. Sure enough, another small rift convulses mid-air atop the snowy mountain, just before the main gate of the forward camp. It pulses, and it’s energy brings forth more demons from the ground just under the rift.

“We must seal it!” Jonathan yells behind him, drawing his staff as he prepares to run into the battle ahead. “Quickly!”

Alec stops in his tracks, letting his new comrades rush forth. Jia is quick to leap into battle, slicing down demon after demon in front of her. Jonathan aids her, using his magic and his staff to keep her from being overwhelmed. Both Alec and Varric stay off to the sides, settling with the ranged attacks of their arrows to handle the wraiths on the outskirts of the rift’s boundary. 

It continues like this for what seems like hours, and a cry from Jia zaps Alec back into the issue at hand: the rift.

_This isn’t going to stop until you close it,_ Alec thinks to himself. _I’ve got to get close enough to connect with it._

“Jonathan!” Alec calls out. Jonathan draws his attention towards Alec after beating back a Shade with his staff. “Make a path for me!”

Jonathan nods wordlessly as he fights back the Shades. He steps back a moment of calm before his hands are glowing and he’s whispering words under his breath. The action draws many demons towards him, and when they are just close enough, his hands glow again, sending a sonic blast out from his form. It sends the demons reeling backwards, creating a path for Alec to get through.

“Now!” Jonathan cries.

Alec rushes forward, quickly pulling his bow back against his chest as he runs towards the rift. It convulses and groans again, and the ground rumbles with yet another wave of demons threatening to come through. The burning sensation returns in his hand, and somehow Alec knows the mark has been activated. Remembering Jonathan’s actions before, he lifts up his left hand towards the rift.

_Come on,_ he pleads. _Connect!_

The rift suddenly snaps, a long tendril of energy connecting to Alec’s hand. Alec grits through the searing pain, watching as the rift crackles and snaps with the sudden reaction of Alec’s mark. There’s a growing hum that emanates from it before the rift once again snaps open, more demons trickling through. The snap of energy sends Alec hurtling back into the pile of snow, dangerously close to a pile of rocks somewhat hidden underneath the dense snow. He looks down at his hand, which still crackles and seethes with magical energy.

_It didn’t work…_

“Try again!” Jonathan’s voice rings out. “We’re closer to the Breach, so it may very well be a stronger rift!” He turns away, slamming his staff against another Shade that freezes on impact. 

Alec takes another breath, begging his aching and sore body upward and towards the rift again. He has to shoot down another few wraiths to get a shot, but Varric soon covers him. He looks back up to the rift, pushing his hand upward.

_Close!_

The rift snaps for a third time, the distant hum building quicker than before. Alec watches as the electricity snaps in it, bewildered by the sight. Before he can think anything else, however, the energy shifts, and Alec can feel the tension snap as he jumps away from the rift, it’s energy expanding before it erupts. The demons around them suddenly die, and everyone’s eyes are drawn to the remnants of the rift, which seethe with the remaining energy from the blast.

“Hurry, use the mark to seal the rift!” Jonathan yells out once again. “That will close it for good!”

Alec holds his hand up to the remnants of the rift one last time, watching in awe as the energy connects once more. Slowly but surely, the rift begins to close, the atmosphere slowly patching itself together. He feels the energy condense under the bond between the rift and the mark, and something in his mind tells him to tear his hand away, to break the bond.

Gritting his teeth, Alec tears his arm back, the bond snapping and the rift explodes in one last burst of energy before it closes completely, the last bit of energy producing sparks that dissolve into nothingness.

The once-demonic energy in the air disappears with the rift, and somehow the air feels just a bit lighter. Alec looks back down to his hand, which has now returned back to normal, no longer seething green. 

“Nice work,” Varric complements, returning his crossbow to its place over his shoulder. “Couldn’t have done it better myself.”

Alec gives a clumsy smile in response. “I thought it didn’t work, at first,” he admits, looking at Jonathan. “Thank you, for believing in me.”

The elf only nods. “I knew if you were able to close the rift before, you’d be able to close this one just fine.” He looks up to the sky where the Breach circles ominously. “It would also make sense that this particular rift was more difficult to close. It’s closer to the Breach, and may have more energy than those further away.”

“Once again saving our asses,” Varric adds. “Thanks, blondie.”

“You did well,” Jia perks up. It’s somewhat off-putting to hear a compliment from her, but Alec takes it nonetheless. She slips past him silently, walking towards the stone-walled structure that must lead to the forward camp. There are guards atop the structure donning weapons of their own, and Alec wonders if the two who have bows helped them during the fight. Jia’s attention directs to the guards. “The rift is closed,” she reports. “Open the gate!”

“Right away, Lady Jia,” the guard replies. He turns behind him, beyond where Alec and his group can see as he gestures for them to open the doors. Alec draws closer, and very soon the large wooden doors open before him.

“We’re clear, for the moment,” Jonathan says with a sigh. “Well done, everyone.”

xXx

The forward camp is essentially a small collection of troops, supplies, and amenities secured on a long stretch of the stone drawbridge between two of the mountaintops. It’s not a crowded area, but it’s collected with enough people and soldiers to at least get somewhere. Alec watches as the guards close the doors behind him, soon turning back to the long stretch of bridge before him.

_Guess there’s no other way but forward_ , he thinks.

Alec starts down the long expanse of bridge, only to stop at a few stalls to collect a few more potions. He trades them for a sovereign—some money he collected from along the way—before stepping down towards the weapons booth.

The weapons master gives him a shifty look, and for a moment Alec thinks maybe he won’t sell him anything, granted he’s still very much a suspect for killing the Divine. But Jia soon joins him, and the weapons master’s gaze shifts to her for an answer. 

“He will need more arrows,” she states matter-of-factly. “He’s fought many demons, and we will likely fight many more. Give him your best.”

Alec gives her a sympathetic look of silent thanks as the weapons master grumbles, turning away to trudge through his inventory before drawing out a new quiver, as well as a sturdier bow. “Best I’ve got for up here,” he states, voice gruff and coarse. “Though I’d recommend ya get yourself a pair of dual-wielders. It’ll save some hassle from havin’ to collect arrows all the time.”

“Do you have anything in your stock?”

The weapons master frowns, looking back to his inventory. “Nothin’ for free,” he states. “I gave ya the arrows and bow cause yours looks like it’s bound to snap on ya. But anything else will be 20 silver at the cheapest.”

Alec sighs, drawing out his coin purse and collecting about 20 silver pieces in his hand. “Give me what you got,” he says, giving the coins to the weapons master.

The bearded man turns back to his supply. “They aren’t the most top of the line, but they’ll do until you can find anything otherwise.” He turns back to Alec, placing a cloth onto the table in front of him. He’s quick to untie the leather string before drawing the fabric away. Sure enough, a pair of shiny dual-wielding blades sit in front of him. They look relatively new, and Alec picks one up to test its weight. It’s lighter than his bow, but still heavy enough for him to keep control of it. 

“I’ll take them.”

“They’re all yours,” the weapons master says. “Here’s a holster for ‘em. Comes with the purchase.”

Alec thanks him once again before taking the holster and securing it around his waist. He slides the blades into their holster, the weight sitting comfortably at the small of his back.

“Nice look for you kid,” Varric compliments.

Alec’s cheeks flush at the compliment. “T-Thanks, Varric.”

“Come, we should see if Helen is here,” Jia directs, beckoning them all forward once more. 

They continue towards the end of the bridge, where a small tent is set up. Even from this far away, Alec can see Helen’s familiar cloak-and-hood, as well as another male figure draped all in white. As they draw closer, the man’s displeasure is evident by the accusatory tone in his voice. Helen speaks to counteract his claims, but is interrupted as they catch sight of Alec and his comrades.

“Ah,” the man speaks, rising up from his hunched position over the table. “Here they come.”

Helen’s face brightens upon seeing Alec, and she gives a small smile at him and a nod to Jia. “Glad to see you made it,” she starts. Her gaze turns back towards the man, dressed clearly in robes from the Chantry. He’s expression is dark, lips turned down in a scowl as he meets Alec’s gaze. “Chancellor Aldertree, this is—”

“I _know_ who he is,” Chancellor Aldertree sneers. He crosses his arms as he speaks again. “As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby _order_ you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution.”

Alec sneers in response. _Nice to meet you too, asshole._

“Order _me_?” Jia counters, a suppressed rage evident on her face. “You are a glorified clerk, a bureaucrat. You have no authority to give me orders.”

“And you are a thug,” Aldertree spits back. “But you claim to serve the Chantry. My authority is justified.”

“ _We_ serve the Most Holy, Aldertree” Helen interrupts. “Not to you.”

Aldertree slams his hand against the table in front of him. “Justinia is dead! We must elect her replacement and obey their orders on the matter.”

“What about the Breach?” Alec interjects. “Isn’t that the most pressing issue at hand?”

Alec’s comment seems to anger Aldertree more. “You are the reason we’re in this mess!” He yells. “You brought this upon us in the first place!” He looks back towards Jia. “You need to call a retreat, Seeker. Our position here is hopeless.”

“It’s not hopeless,” she assures. “We can stop this before it’s too late.”

“How? You won’t survive long enough to reach the Temple, even with all your soldiers.”

“We must get to the temple,” Jia insists. “It’s the quickest route.”

“But not the safest,” Helen adds. “Our forces could charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains.” She points up to the mountains ahead of them, which lie in a haze from the dense fog near their peaks. 

“We lost contact with an entire squadron on that path, Helen,” Jia dissuades. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Listen to me,” Aldertree argues. “We have to stop this now, before more lives are lost.”

Suddenly, the ground rumbles under them, as if an earthquake is erupting. However Alec’s eyes fly up to the sky, where the Breach glows and surges with energy. His hand awakens a moment later, making him seethe at the sudden pain in the nerves. 

Aldertree’s gaze fixates on Alec’s hand, fire flaming in his eyes.

The Breach quiets a moment later, as well as Alec’s hand. With a sigh, he looks up, only to see Aldertree, Helen, and Jia all staring back at him. He blinks a couple of times in surprise. “I-I don’t know why it does that. It’s—”

“What do you think we should do?” Jia interrupts, stepping closer towards him. “How would you proceed?”

Alec is taken aback by the question. She’s asking his opinion? He’s hardly in a position of power here. _He’s_ the prisoner, not the leader. “Now you’re asking what I think?”

“You’re the one who has the mark,” Jonathan acknowledges with a nod. “So you will ultimately be the one to close the Breach.”

“And you are the one we must keep alive,” Jia adds. “Since we can’t agree on our own, the decision is yours.”

_No pressure._

Alec takes a moment to mull it over, his gaze focusing back onto the mountains ahead of them, then to the Breach. If they go through the mountain pass, it will be quicker. There will be others providing a distraction, and while the problem of the Breach may be addressed sooner, many could still die as a result. However if they charge with the troops, the scouts that were lost in the pass may be lost for good. 

There’s no easy answer. Both choices warrant a loss of life.

“I say we take the mountain pass,” Alec decides. There’s an obvious look of disapproval from Jia, but it quickly disappears. “Everyone is fighting to end this. We need to work together, and we may be able to secure the squadron lost in the path. The sooner we can end this, the less lives we’ll have to risk.”

That’s the ideal hope, at least.

“Very well then,” Jia says with a nod. “Helen, gather everyone left in the valley. _Everyone._ ”

Helen’s nods. “May the Maker be with you, Jia.”

“You as well,” she acknowledges. Much to Alec’s surprise, Jia steps forward, leaning in to give Helen a small, reassuring hug. The action is out of her normal disposition—or at least of what Alec has seen so far. There’s a hushed whisper between them, one that Alec can’t make out, before she steps away, nodding to Alec as they move forward towards the opposite side of the bridge. 

As they pass Aldertree, he sighs in frustration, eyes trained back on the plans written in front of him. “On your head be the consequences, Jia,” he says with bitterness in his tone. 

Jia gives a scowl, but nothing more than that, continuing forth. Just as the doors close behind them, Alec sighs.

“He’s just a bottle of sunshine, isn’t he?”

“He’s concerned,” Jia states, albeit irritated. “We all are. But you are our only hope, now.” 

Alec looks up to the mountains ahead. It’s going to be a steep and heady climb for them to reach the pass. They trudge through the snow and up the rocky slope until they reach the edge of the mountainside, a solid wooden structure of ladders and platforms stretching up the side to what he assumes must be the entrance to the cave. Up here, the wind is fierce. The snow and cold blow on them harshly, chilling Alec to the bone. He hopes that the caves offer some shelter from the cold.

Then again, others have gotten lost in these caves. They could very well die.

Alec swallows thickly. This was his decision. His choice. Now he’ll have to fight like hell to survive.

xXx

The wooden structure leading up the mountainside creaks and groans more than Alec is entirely comfortable with, especially as they climb up the ladder towards the top of the cliffside. It sways ever so slightly in the harsh wind, and Alec climbs faster, as if the wind will threaten to push him off the side of the cliff and plunge him to his death.

“The tunnels should be just ahead. The path to the Temple lies just beyond it,” Jia states as they ascend to the first platform. She watches as Alec ascends the second ladder up to another platform, soon climbing up after him.

“What kind of tunnels are these?” Jonathan asks, soon taking the ladder after Jia. “Mining tunnels?”

“Yes,” Jia affirms. “These tunnels are part of an old mining complex. The mountains here are full of paths like these.”

“And your missing soldiers are in there somewhere?” Varric asks.

“Along with whatever has detained them,” Jonathan adds. 

Alec turns towards the staircase leading up to the last ladder, only to stop and look out in the distance. From here, he can see the full extent of the Breach, how it’s massive tendrils of energy cascade down from the giant hole in the sky. _You have to close that thing_ , Alec thinks to himself. Fuck...can he even close a rift that large?

“We shall see soon enough,” Jia responds grimly, unaware of Alec’s uncertainty as they climb up to the last platform, near the entryway of the tunnels. Alec walks over to the entrance and turns the corner, ready to enter when—

“Shit!” he exclaims, drawing out his bow and knocking an arrow at light speed. Down the corridor, a wraith sits. As soon as Alec’s form enters view, it acknowledges his presence by firing a spirit blast at him, knocking him back slightly before Alec sends his arrow flying, landing right in the heart. It cries, soon dissipating into nothingness. However, it’s cries must signal more of the demons, because sure enough—around the corner comes a multitude of Shades; and not just any Shades. _Armored_ Shades. 

“Oh great, they have armor now!” Alec voices out his displeasure, kicking the demon back to gain some distance between them. The rest of the group rounds the corner with Jia leading the assault against the new waves of demons. Jonathan sends out multiple bursts of magic, attacking the Shade and freezing it where it stands, only for Jia to charge it and slice clean through with her blade. The battle is quickly over, and they take a breath before entering the tunnels.

Sure enough, the tunnels cut off the harsh wind from the outside. While there’s no bite from the wind, the stone structure still makes the entire place cold. There are small candles and torches lit aflame that promise an ounce of heat, but nothing that contributes dramatically to the temperature of the space. 

They continue through the tunnels, passing through corridors and rooms that have long been abandoned. Alec swipes a few things from leftover barrels and chests, collecting small vials of potions and spare coins along the way. It remains relatively quiet, save for the distant howl of the wind outside and the drips of water into the mine shaft deep below. Just as they near another staircase, however, another wave of demons greets them. There’s no rift to accompany them, so once they take down the few demons inhabiting the area, they keep moving forward.

“There,” Jia notes with a nod to another staircase. “Light.”

“That must be our way out then,” Alec adds, quickly running up the staircase. Sure enough, the light of the outside world comes closer and closer into view. As Alec ascends the stairs, however, he notices several still forms lying just outside the opening to the cavern. His heart sinks.

_The squadron._

There’s a distant sigh from Varric behind him. “Guess we found the soldiers,” he says sadly. 

“That can’t be _all_ of them,” Jia says with a shake of her head. “There must be more.”

“So the others could be holed up ahead?”

“Our priority is the Breach,” Jonathan interjects. “Unless we seal it soon, no one is safe.”

Just the mention of the Breach has Alec looking back up towards the sky. The Breach only seems to become more and more menacing the closer they get to it, with clouds circling around the hole in the sky with a few large boulder-like rocks suspended in the air from its energy. 

“I’m gonna leave that to our friend here,” Varric counter back, obviously acknowledging Alec. “You will be able to close it, right?”

“That’s the hope,” Alec mutters nervously under his breath.

They continue on the path for a few more minutes, only for Alec’s hand to have that familiar tingling sensation. “Prepare yourselves,” Alec warns. 

“Another rift?” Jonathan asks.

“Yeah,” Alec confirms. Not even a second later, a rift comes into view, just past where the path diverts down towards the Temple. It pulses, and Alec’s hand burns as it snaps open, summoning a wave of demons with it. Just like before, they work together to attack the demons, helping Alec gain an opening so he can get closer to the rift. He outstretches his hand, connecting instantly with the rift in attempts to seal it. 

It snaps back at him, and for a moment the rift stills. He looks ahead, seeing one of the wounded soldiers resting against the stone ledge, grasping at their wound.

“Lady Seeker!” the soldier calls, hope and relief flooding their tone.

“Lieutenant! You’re alive!” Jia responds with equal amounts of relief.

“Just barely,” the lieutenant sighs.

The rift crackles with energy once again, dragging Alec’s attention back to the rift. The energy shifts and grows, before exploding out once more. Alec braces himself for the impact and suffers less of a blowback from it. However the rift spits out its demonic energy across the snow, and not a moment later does the most horrid, lanky looking demon rise from the miasma. 

“What the _fuck_!” Alec curses, eyes meeting the horrid face of the demon. It’s jaw doesn’t seem to exist, blending down into its sternum. It’s multitude of blackened eyes stare blankly back at him, and he jumps away just in time to dodge one of it’s elongated arms swiping at him. 

“Terror’s!” Jonathan yells over the demon’s terrifying screech. “Watch the swipe of the hands and the tail!”

Alec ducks as the said tail of the demon swings over his head. He knocks another arrow and launches it into the back of one of the terror demons. “Yeah! I got that!” Alec yells back. Another Terror rises from the residue and Alec is quick to strap his bow and dodge with a roll across the ground. He’s quick to change from an arrow to the daggers on his back, slicing at the heels of the long-legged demon.

It cries in pain, falling as Jonathan summons a fire spell to light it aflame. It screeches and writhes as the fire consumes it, soon eroding away as the rift takes back the energy of the fallen demon. The other Terror is soon to follow, and the rift snaps again, convulsing in the way Alec knows it’s unstable and close to closing. He reaches out to it once more, the burning of his hand and the convulsing of the rift snapping together as the energy quickly binds the rift back together. He snaps the bond when the rift fully closes, the blast of energy sending a wave of harsh wind through the area. Alec winces at the feeling of wind, chilling him down to the bone.

Jonathan sighs as he stands back up, looking to Alec somewhat proudly. “Sealed, just as before,” he notes. “You’re becoming quite good at this.”

Varric trudges in behind him, giving an uncertain look. “Yeah, let’s hope it works on the big one.”

Jia, meanwhile, helps up the injured lieutenant, who holds their side. While Alec can’t see most of their face, the gaps in their helmet show the slight wince as they move. 

“Thank the Maker you came, Jia,” they sigh. “I don’t think we could’ve held on for much longer.”

“Don’t thank me,” Jia dissuades. “Thank our prisoner.” She looks back towards Alec, who gives an awkward wave of his hand in response. “He insisted we come this way.”

“The prisoner?” the lieutenant asks curiously. Their gaze focuses on Alec. “T-Then you—”

“It was worth saving you,” Alec says with a bow. “If we could.”

The lieutenant presses a hand to their chest. “Then you have my sincere gratitude,” they reply honestly. “And you have the thanks of my comrades as well.” The other soldiers with them nod in agreement.

“The valley behind us is clear for a moment. You should go while you still can,” Jia recommends.

“At once.” The lieutenant looks back to their men. “Let’s move!”

They run to the path in which Alec and the others once came, taking a moment to stop over their fallen comrades and salute. Two of the other soldiers quietly pull the bodies off to the side, arrange them in the snow so that they lay peacefully. The action makes Alec’s chest ache, a small pang of guilt knowing he couldn’t save the others in time.

_You can’t save everyone,_ Alec reminds himself.

“The path ahead seems to be clear of demons as well,” Jonathan reports, turning back towards Alec and Jia.

Alec nods in agreement. The air around them is lighter somewhat, and the dread in Alec’s chest doesn’t feel quite as looming as before. His arm doesn’t tingle either, not unless he looks to the Breach.

“Then let’s hurry before that changes,” Jia says, starting towards the downslope of the mountain. “There’s a ladder at the end of this path that will lead to the Temple.” 

They set forward then, descending the set of ladders quickly and carefully making their way down the steep slope of the snowy terrain.

“So holes in the Fade don’t _accidentally_ happen, right?” Varric asks as they walk.

“Well, if enough magic is brought to bear, it’s certainly possible,” Jonathan replies.

“But we can agree that there are easier ways of making things explode, though.”

Jonathan sighs heavily. “That...that is true.”

“We’ll consider how exactly this happened once the immediate danger has passed,” Jia joins in. “But for now, we need to keep our focus on the task at hand.”

They continue downwards until the slope begins to level out. The snow starts to thin out, and the whole winterscape they’d seen before soon disappears. In its stead is uneven, rocky terrain with large tendrils of stone that rise up towards the sky. There are thousands of them, all of massive sizes. There are pillars of what looks like it was stone fencing, blown away and destroyed completely. The air around them smells burnt, and Alec winces as they travel further in, the smell only increasing in intensity. 

“The Temple of Sacred Ashes…” Jonathan trails off, eyes wide as he looks across the spiky formations. They glimmer with the green shine from the Breach as they pass.

“What’s left of it, at least,” Varric adds quietly. 

They come up over the first hill only to be greeted with the utter desolation of the Temple. A building of stone has completely crumbled, leaving barely even the foundation steady. As Alec jumps down into the open area, he notices several figures perches over candles, their bodies completely embalmed in what looks like stone. They’ve been stripped of almost all humanity, with hardly any facial features—save for hollowed eyes and mouths open in what probably would have been a scream. Casting his gaze further out, there are more figures, some looking hopeless, others with hands on their heads in agony. Some still are lit aflame, though whatever they are encased it doesn’t let them deteriorate.

“This is where our soldiers found you,” Jia says solemnly. “You walked out of the Fade, and our reports had said there was a woman in the rift behind you. But no one knows who she was.”

Alec’s head swims at the thought. No wonder they blame him. _Look_ at everything around them! Everything is decimated. People have been embalmed in stone and everything has been torn down. Alec looks down to his hand. Is he really capable of all this destruction?

“We must keep going,” Jonathan says, placing a hand on Alec’s shoulder. “I know it is difficult, seeing all this. But you are here to close the Breach, to repay for the destruction caused. Show everyone that you are not what they think you are. Show them you are here _for_ them.”

Jonathan’s words of reassurement help a little bit, and Alec mouths a silent thank you before they continue forward. They turn towards another passageway, still intact by some strange miracle. They weave their way through it, soon coming out the other side.

Immediately, Alec spots the lower tendrils of the Breach, cascading down to the floor of the ground. Around them, the temple has been completely destroyed, leaving barely a staircase or a stone parapet intact. In the center of it all, lies one of the rifts, much larger than the others before. It crackles and groans horridly, convulsing under the energy that the Breach above gives it. 

All of them look skyward to the Breach above, all wearing the same bewildered and terrified expression. Varric turns, looking at the state of the world around them. “The Breach is a _long_ way up,” he states. All Alec can do in response is nod, eyes staying trained on the massive amount of energy before him. He’s supposed to close this? With something this massive, is it even possible?

“You’re here!” A voice calls out, making Alec turn. Helen runs up to them, joy evident on her face. A collection of soldiers follow a few feet behind her. “Thank the Maker you got here all in one piece.”

“Helen,” Jia says, turning to her. “Have your men take their positions around the Temple.” Helen gives a silent nod in response before turning back to her men to give them directions. Jia turns back towards Alec. “This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?”

_No,_ Alec thinks. He’s downright terrified, unable to quell his rampant thoughts. There’s so much that can go wrong, so much that he may not be able to even do. So many lives have been risked and sacrificed already, but there really is no certainty that this will work. All those lives lost, all would be in vain.

Alec swallows thickly. “I can try,” he says, voice wavering just a fraction. He clears his throat and licks his bottom lip nervously, looking back up towards the Breach in the sky. “But I don’t know if I can reach that, much less close it.”

“This rift is the first,” Jonathan perks up, looking to the rift just meters away from them. “It is the key. If you seal this rift, perhaps the Breach will also be sealed.”

“Then we need to find a way down,” Jia says, turning back towards the decimated terrain. “Regardless, we should be careful.”

Alec looks to their right, seeing that the staircase once there has collapsed, and the only real opening is the tunnel they passed through earlier. There’s no easy way to get down, but Alec looks over the ledge, surveying the ground below. It’s another platform, maybe seven or eight feet down. It wouldn’t be too much of a strain to jump it. 

On that thought, Alec shifts his weight across the ledge, taking a breath before jumping down. He lands with a harsh thud, and the pain from his feet echoes up into his body like a sudden chill.

_Now is the hour of our victory._

_Bring forth the sacrifice._

Jia and the others leap over the ledge as well, but they stall at the sudden dark-toned voice that echoes in the air around them. “What are we hearing?”

“My guess? It’s most likely the one who created the Breach,” Jonathan states. 

They turn, now heading down towards the open path. The rocks around them glow and skitter with the energy from the breach, and as they turn down the corner of the path, they stumble across a large batch of glowing red crystals growing up from the ground.

“Do you know this stuff is red lyrium?” Varric says. For once, his eyes reflect something akin to fear. 

“I see it, Varric,” Jia states coldly.

“But what’s it _doing_ here?” He counters back in a sort-of whine, clearly bothered by its presence.

“Magic could’ve drawn on lyrium lying beneath the temple,” Jonathan so helpfully explains. “It could very well have corrupted it.”

Varric scoffs. “That shit is _evil_ ,” he spits. His gaze fixates on Alec. “Whatever you do, don’t touch it.”

“Why?” Alec asks dumbly.

“Do you _want_ to go crazy?” Varric argues back. “I’m sure you heard of what happened to Knight Commander Meredith in Kirkwall, right?”

Alec swallows at the thought. Knight Commander Meredith, the head of the Templars in Kirkwall, had been the center of stories for many months after the uprising of the Circle in Kirkwall, just after the last Blight. From what Alec had heard, she had gone hungry for power, deliberately abusing her powers and hunting down mages for the smallest of crimes. She grew paranoid of blood magic being used by all of the mages, and in her attempt to take control, she lost herself and ultimately perished as a result. But no one ever said anything about Red Lyrium. None of the stories he had heard even _mentioned_ it.

“But she—”

_Keep the sacrifice still._

Alec’s skin erupts with goosebumps at the dark voice once more, effectively cutting his train of thought off.

_Someone, help me!_

The plea is from a different voice, an older woman. She sounds desperate. Scared.

“T-That is Divine Justinia’s voice!” Jia stammers, shock evident on her face. 

Alec’s hair stands on edge at the bit of information. The voice sounds so familiar to him, but he can’t place it. He can’t recall if he ever met the Most Holy, doesn’t even remember if he’d seen her face. He can’t remember anything before waking up in the prison. Only the memories of the Fade and the beacon reaching out for him and—

They turn another corner, coming upon a staircase that is still well enough intact for them to descend. They make haste quickly, running down the path until it opens back up to where the Breach lies before them. Alec jumps down into the ravine below, where Helen and her other soldiers await. Slowly, they move closer to the rift, and Alec feels the energy shift around them. It cracks and splits, sprouting at odd angles as it grows bigger. His mark flares to life, and Alec tries to quell his rapid heartbeat as he lifts his hand towards the rift.

_Someone, help me!_

The Divine’s voice echoes again, before another soon joins her.

_What’s going on here?_

Alec’s eyes widen. It’s _his_ voice. His voice, interacting with the Divine. His hand flares again, the pain making his head throb in response.

“That was your voice,” Jia states in disbelief, voicing Alec’s revelation moments before. “Our Most Holy called out to you...but—”

Before she can finish the thought, the rift crackles, and Alec can feel the energy around them building and building like it’s about to burst. He takes a few steps back, ready for the tell-tale blow that will ultimately summon demons from the other side of the Fade. 

But instead of a wave of demons, the sudden release of energy from the rift draws out a vivid scene, where a tall figure masked in darkness leads the Divine closer to them. She’s unable to flee due to the magic binding her. Alec watches himself come into view, confusion evident on his face.

_“What’s going on here,_ ” the memory of himself asks.

The Divine looks at him in fear. “ _Run while you can! Warn them!_ ” 

The figure basked in shadow turns to the memory of Alec. Even in the memory, the third figure looks more like a cloud of smoke, save for the glowing reddened eyes it harbors. “ _We have an intruder,_ ” it announces, and Alec realizes this is the dark voice they heard earlier. It shifts in the memory, pointing to Alec’s memory form. “ _Slay the human,_ ” it orders, before another large burst of energy expels from the rift, coating the entire space in a bright light that blinds all of them. Alec seethes before blinking his eyes open, only to see that the memory has vanished.

“You _were_ there!” Jia accuses. “Who was it that attacked? And the Divine? Is she—? Was this vision true?! What are we seeing?!”

“I don’t remember!” Alec yells back at her. “I told you! I can’t remember anything from before. This—” he looks back to the rift. “I don’t know what happened after that. All I can remember from that moment was what that memory just showed us. Nothing more.”

Jia scowls at him, obviously displeased by the answer. 

“They are echoes of what happened here,” Jonathan states, walking closer towards the unstable rift. “The Fade bleeds it.” He turns back towards the two of them. “This rift is closed, although that is more of a temporary thing than anything else. You can use the mark to reopen the rift, then seal it properly _and_ safely.”

“But if we open the rift, won’t that summon demons?” Alec counters back.

“Most likely, it will.”

Jia gives another scowl. “Very well then.” She looks to Helen and the others, who stand by waiting for a command. “Stand ready everyone! Be ready to fight!”

With that, Helen, Varric, and Jia guide many of the foot soldiers around the area of the rift. Alec spies a handful of archers on the upper ledges of what’s left of the Temple, arrows nocked and ready. They give a nod to Alec, before he turns his gaze back to Jia, who nods wordleslessly back at him. Alec’s heart jackrabbits in his chest once more, skin tingling at the thought of having to fight more demons. He takes a deep inhale and expels in it as steady of an exhale as he can muster before he steps closer towards the rift. His hand bursts with the energy that sparks around them, and he raises the appendage upwards towards the rift. 

The energy between them snaps together instantly, and Alec silently wishes for the rift to open. He watches as the rift continues to convulse and shift under the reaction with his mark, and it steadily builds and builds until—

_BOOM!_

A large blast of energy rockets out from the rift, ricocheting into one of the walls nearby. It thuds against the wall before the mass of green energy morphs, soon taking shape into a massive demon with large scales and horns. It roars to life before slamming to the ground, which rumbles under their feet from the impact. Alec’s eyes go wide at the large demon that manifests, the residual energy crackling across its form. 

_Holy shit._

“Now!” Jia yells, thrusting her sword up towards the sky. The archers above shoot down at the large demon all at once, but the demon is quick to dispel the attacks with a quick wave of its arm. It growls again, and the sound shakes Alec to his core. But now isn’t the time to be scared, it’s the time to fight. They’re _so_ close. They can do this.

Alec is quick to back away from where he stands, ripping out his bow and knocking an arrow before swiftly letting it fly. He watches as the foot soldiers and Jia rush forward, attacking its legs and dodging a blow from its arms. 

The demon cackles something sinister before taking a large breath. It’s hands come together, manifesting powerful electrical magic in the air between them. It coats the demon, almost like armor, and Alec watches as one unlucky soldier’s blade connects with the magic, sending electric shocks through their body. They convulse with a blood-curdling scream before they reel back, body smoking and burnt from the sudden onslaught of heat. 

Jia and the other soldiers jump away at the sight of their fallen comrade. “We need to strip it’s defenses—that armor it wears,” she yells out. “Mages! Archers! Do what you can to wear it down!”

The demon slowly moves, making its way over towards Alec. Alec moves on his feet, keeping his bow steady as he loads arrow after arrow, sinking one after the other into the demon’s flesh. However, he notices the arrows nearly vaporize on impact, making his attacks nearly useless. 

_Fuck,_ he thinks. _I need something stronger._

Not too far away, Jonathan stands, casting spell after spell at the demon. “Jonathan!” Alec yells, rushing over to him. “Think you can do me a favor?”

“Make it quick!” He says, summoning a wall of fire between them and the demon, giving them enough time to retreat back to a safer area. 

“Enchant my arrows,” Alec asks of him. “Something that will make them stronger to get through that magical armor it has.”

Jonathan’s brows furrow, but he nods nonetheless. He turns Alec around, hands moving around his quiver. Alec doesn’t feel the magic at all, but only a few seconds later Jonathan is pushing him away. “There. Now go! Keep your distance from the demon, but try to get closer towards the rift. Disrupting it will be the only way to— _MOVE!_ ” Jonathan suddenly pushes Alec back with magic, dodging a massive orb of electrical magic from hitting him. Alec falters to the ground at the impact of it, but quickly gets up, knocking an arrow into his bow. He can feel the magic on the arrow pulse under his fingertips, and after a moment he releases it, rocketing towards the demon.

This time, the arrow crackles, solidifying itself in ice as it ricochets through the air. It slams through the demon’s armor, sinking into the flesh with devastating accuracy. It groans in response, quickly swinging its arms out to hit the footmen nearby. It’s hand crackles with more magic, and an electric whip manifests in its hands. The demon slices the whip down, taking down a few more soldiers in its wake. Alec’s heart aches in agony as he releases another arrow, sinking into the demon once, twice, three more times.

The demon turns towards Jonathan’s direction then, clearly set on stopping his onslaught of magical attacks. Alec nearly rushes towards his aid, but Jia runs up to him, cutting him off. “Quickly!” She says, eyes flitting up to the rift behind them. “Disrupt the rift!”

“But Jonathan—!” 

“Will be fine!” She assures. “The demon won’t weaken until its main energy supply is diminished. Only you can do this.”

Alec’s brows furrow, giving another glance to Jonathan, who stands just beyond Jia’s shoulder. He watches Jonathan summon another powerful spell—nature magic—as the rocks in front of him rise up quickly to defend against another powerful blow. “Fine,” Alec grits out, turning quickly to run towards the rift. He quickly brings the bow over his chest, reaching his hand up towards the rift. It connects almost instantly, the rift snapping and convulsing under his actions. The rift soon breaks under the pressure, and the blast forces the massive demon to its knees, the magical armor now gone.

“The demon is vulnerable!” Jia announces to everyone. “Now!”

The foot soldiers yell in response, running up to the demon once more. Everyone fires at the demon all at once, assaulting it with arrows, magic, swords and shields. But all too soon, the rift convulses again, and the demon gains a second wind. The footmen retreat, letting the ranged attackers continue their onslaught as they attempt to draw it away from Alec and the rift. 

Alec turns his attention back to the rift, running to the right away from where the demon wreaks havoc mere feet away. He nears the right side, offering his left hand up once more to connect with the rift. The connection snaps together in an instant, and it only takes a few seconds for the rift to break apart once more. 

The action, however, causes more tendrils of energy to fly out, coating the ground and drawing out more demons from the Fade. 

“More coming through the rift!” Jonathan yells, notifying the others of the new demons they have to face. Jia shouts out a few more commands, keeping a smaller brigade to the largest demon and having some of the footmen deal with the other, smaller demons. The mages and archers keep to their assault on the large demon, wearing it down with as many attacks as they can muster. 

Alec—on the other hand—turns to see three Shades slinking up towards him. He’s quick to trade his bow for his dual blades. He keeps light on his feet, dodging their attacks and landing quite a few of his own. He pops open a vial from his belt, throwing it down to the ground. The glass shatters, creating a thick fume of smoke that conceals him. The demons can’t see this way, giving him the perfect cover to quickly evade an attack and sneak around them. He uses the terrain around him to gain traction, jumping off a nearby rock formation, using the gravity to stab both of his blades down into the Shade’s back. 

The Shade howls in response, and its form all but collapses back into the earth. He turns, delivering swift slices to the other two, killing them effortlessly just as the smoke begins to clear. 

“Watch out!”

The warning comes a little too late, as a blast of energy from the massive demon hurtles towards Alec. It hits him almost directly, sending him flying back into the wall of rocks behind him. His back slams against the surface, stripping him of any breath that remained in his lungs. He collapses to the ground soon after, body shaking and convulsing with the destructive magic that echoes in his body. He coughs, vision hazy for a moment before it clears.

_Blood_.

He’s coughing up blood, perhaps has a couple of broken bones—who knows? With as much energy he can muster, he moves his right arm which screams back at him in pain. He ignores it, gritting through the pain to get a potion from the satchel on his belt. Luckily, one still seems to be intact. He brings it to his lips, tugging the stopper off with a harsh pull of his teeth before downing the liquid in one swig.

Instantly, his body feels lighter. His lungs regain their ability to retain air, and he gasps a large breath. His body still aches, but it’s a dull throb that he can bear with until a proper healer can see to him. With the newfound strength, he pushes himself off the ground, wiping the blood from his mouth. The others have distracted the massive demon away from Alec, giving him another opening to run back towards the rift. He reaches up, connecting with the rift once more. His arm burns with an intensity like none before it, and he yells out in pain as the rift convulses again, the energy reaching its peak before bursting a final time.

The blowback causes the demon to once again stall, falling to its knees. Alec looks at the rift again, noticing that it has finally weakened, and it’s edges are cracking. 

_This is it_.

Taking another breath, Alec holds his hand out one last time, connecting to the rift once more. He wills the rift to close, and watches as the edges of the rift begin to stitch together. It takes longer for it to mend, much longer than any of the rifts before it. Alec keeps his focus solely on the rift, begging, pleading for it to close. Everyone has fought so hard already. They’re _so close_.

He can feel it in his body now, the energy from the massive rift collating and merging together. He can feel its tendrils of energy fold back on itself, building slowly as it stitches itself tighter and tighter. The rift crackles under the pressure, and the ground shakes under them, but Alec pays it no mind. He only focuses on the rift, on its energy.

_Close!_

In that moment, the bond snaps, and the energy of the rift releases. A loud, ear-splitting blast echoes out as the rift dissolves completely, it’s tendrils reaching towards the Breach above disintegrating as the energy releases. Even from miles away, the blast could probably be heard. All eyes watch as the energy once binding the Breach to the rift skyrockets upward, back unto where it originated. It impacts the Breach with a loud crack, the remnants of said energy blasting out across the sky like a sonic blast. 

Alec looks up at the sky in awe.

_He did it._

Distantly, he can hear the cheers of his comrades, can feel the air lift and the demonic energy around them dissipate. Jonathan, Jia, and Varric all turn towards him to extend their congratulations, but Alec doesn’t hear them. His ears ring and his vision suddenly hazes. He falters backward, all the energy he had before suddenly gone after the intensity of the blast. 

Before he can think otherwise, his body caves under the weight of gravity and everything goes dark.

xXx

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me over @the_biconic_mb on twitter!
> 
> **Terminology**  
>  Chantry: the dominant religious organization of Thedas. It’s teachings are based around Andraste, a prophet of the Maker (god) that originates in Orlais. The followers are called Andrastians. Many members of the Chantry are women, and the head of this organization is known as the Divine. 
> 
> Templars: The Templar Order is the military order of the Chantry, whose duties are to hunt abominations and apostates, while also watching over the Circle of Magi. As of now, the templars fight in the Mage-Templar War, since the mages have rebelled and broken free from the Circle. 
> 
> Apostates: mages who are not part of the Circle, thus considered “rebel mages”. With the Mage-Templar War and the Circle of Magi no longer standing, all mages are considered apostates. 
> 
> The Circle: an organization for the training of mages within Thedas. It is governed by the Chantry and maintained by the Templar Order. In the past, the Circle was allowed to take any child from their families as soon as magical ability was shown, even from high-ranking nobility. Many mages consider it a prison, and an infringement on their rights to freedom. Many Circles across Thedas have fallen as a result of the Mage-Templar War. 
> 
> The Fade: a metaphysical realm that is tied to Thedas, separated by something known as the Veil. In teachings by the Chantry, the Maker separated the fade and Thedas, and the spirits that resided in the Fade grew jealous and grew into demons, craving or emulating base desires or sins. The elves believe that it is a holy place and once the home of the gods.


End file.
